Tips for Designing and Organizing Your Closet

One of my favorite things to do for my clients is to design their closets. Recently, my team and I had the opportunity to design and organize multiple closets in our clients’ new home. Today I’m going to break down that process (with pictures!) and give you tips on how to organize your own closets. Below I go into detail a bit more about a master closet that we designed.

Consider the space. When designing and organizing a closet you have to consider how much space you have, the types of space (drawers, multiple hanging rods, ect.), and who will be using that space. In the pictures below you can see how much space and items we had to store from the original master closet. You can also see that the new master closet was not very large and we had to keep in mind that two people would be sharing this closet, this information gave us our parameters to work within. We started by measuring the space and then began our design.

ORIGINAL CLOSET

This was the original layout and the items that we needed to store in the newly designed closet!

Maximize the space you have. To maximize the space in the closet we decided to add multiple rods (high and low), shelves, and drawers. This separated the closet into sections for each person and allowed us to maximize the vertical space available. Remember, you are not only confined to your clothes hanging bar and should think high, low, and to the back of doors for usable space. If you can’t add shelves or drawers there are also products out there that can help you make the most out of the space you have. For example, drawer dividers, vertical sweater organizers, and over the door shoe holders can transform a basic single hanging bar closet into a highly functional space with a significant amount of storage potential

DESIGN

Here’s the design that we landed out to maximize the space. Now, on to making it come to life!

NEW CLOSET

Accessibility. One of the most important things to remember is that if you use it often it needs to be accessible. In this closet our clients needed quick access to semi casual and casual pieces which is what we gave priority to. Although we love using the top of the shelf in a closet because it has a good amount of space to store items, it’s not practical for items that you grab everyday. Instead, we reserved this space for our clients off-season clothing and less frequently used items.

Categorize, categorize, categorize. Creating categories based on how you live will not only make it easier to access the outfit of the day, but makes keeping up with the overall system easy to manage it's created based on how and what they wear. For example, if daily attire includes suits, blouses, and pumps those items get priority placement in the closet, which means on a level that is easy to reach and see. Then, within each category break down the category and divide by color, style, etc. Categorizing is a budget-friendly way to streamline a closet and enhance the overall look of the space, regardless of its size or design.

Get creative! This is the most fun aspect of closet design and organization. By incorporating stylish decorative bins, matching hangers, or sleek drawer knobs not only can it provide extra storage but it also elevates the overall look and feel of the space. In the closet above we went with very simple and modern white shelves, drawers, and bins as well as simple tie knobs to complement our clients aesthetic.

How can we help you design your dream closet? What tips and tricks do you use for maximizing space? Comment below!